Life imposes things on you that you can't control, but you still have the choice of how you're going to live through this.

A man must choose his own way of life, and...it is only by following out one's own bent that there can be the really harmonious life.

So I simply don't buy the concept of "Generation X" as the "lost generation." I see too many good kids out there, kids who are ready and willing to do the right thing, just as Jack was. Their distractions are greater, though. There's no more simple life with simple choices for the young.

I believe that a simple and unassuming manner of life is best for everyone, best both for the body and the mind.

Beware the barrenness of a busy life.

The more one lives alone on the river or in the open country, the clearer it becomes that nothing is more beautiful or great than to perform the ordinary duties of one's daily life simply and naturally.